Project Predling
by Triscribe
Summary: TF Prime, Shattered Glass: Shockwave is close to completing his first batch of Predacon clones. Predaking is nearly beside himself with excitement, at least until a complication arises...
1. Chapter 1

_This is a Shattered Glass version of the Transformers Prime universe; it's also something of a tragedy tale. But! Because it nearly made_ ME _cry to write a sad ending to this, I'm going to write a companion story with the same intro, but a different ending, and possibly a further story added onto it. You'll see what I'm talking about when you get to the end. Enjoy!_

 _-Triscribe_

"Well will they be ready to hatch?" Drakonis asked eagerly, leaning down to beam at one of the developing Predacon protoforms in its container. Over by the console that displayed how each of the sparklings was developing, Shockwave chuckled at his oldest creation's antics.

"Soon enough, Predaking." The scientist replied with humor. The use of the other designation, though, sent the massive being into a pout.

"That's not my name," he grumbled. "I don't like that others want me to use it. _You_ were the one to name me Drakonis."

"True." Shockwave acknowledged. "But it is your proper title, since you will be the lord of your revitalized race." Within the secured bunker, six cylindrical tanks were lined up in a neat row, glowing with a concoction of energon and nutrients for the growing sparklings to absorb. Since Megatron had seen the result of Shockwave's initial attempt to clone a living Predacon, the Decepticon leader was willing to put forth the time and effort to create more. If they continued to develop as scheduled, the sparklings would be released from their containers in two Earth weeks, fully grown. At the moment, they'd achieved their initial stage of development without any difficulties, and only required the additional time to expand their frames far faster than could be done out in the open.

"I just want them to be my friends," Drakonis muttered to himself, not noticing his guardian hearing the soft words and suffering a wave of guilt for it. The massive, winged mech had been created back on Cybertron, the only one of his kind thanks to Shockwave not having the materials to form any more Predacons. Though, the scientist continued to view that as something of a positive, for he'd had his servos full training the winged being - especially upon the discovery of his creation's intelligence and transformation abilities.

Now, with Drakonis' dream of companions - family - so close to becoming reality, Shockwave was feeling an equal mix of anticipation and remorse. Unlike his first creation, these Predacons would be thrust immediately into an atmosphere of war, with very little time for a learning curve. Their exceptionally tough beastial frames would help the sparklings survive until they got their pedes under them, but it would be such a shame to see newspark innocence lost so quickly. Drakonis himself, despite also having been born immediately into his adult farm, was still such a child at spark himself, though the last few skirmishes with the Autobot forces had done much to curb his carefree attitude.

Sighing, Shockwave left the console to stand beside his eldest creation and lay a reassuring hand on his arm.

"They will be." He assured Drakonis. "You're too much of a soft-sparked nest brooder for them to be otherwise."

The large Predacon started to smile and nod, but then gave his guardian a mock scowl. "Hey..." Shockwave exvented in amusement, before returning to his work. Drakonis just rolled his optics and began to look over his future friends once more.

In the lead tank was a female Predacon who looked very much like a bird, complete with metal feathers reaching down from her head to the tip of her long tail. It was a bit hard to tell through the green liquid, but Drakonis thought she might be a blend of red and gold. Shockwave had mentioned a few days ago that their designations would be determined by their King, setting the grown Predacon to considering. He decided that this one would be called Moltenwing.

The next tank held a small mechling with equal parts feline and avian in appearance. Even in the stasis of the container, this one's paws and wings would twitch, making Drakonis think he must be dreaming - probably of joyous flight or sure-footed racing. The name he received was Skylynx, a mighty hunter.

After that was a more serpentine Predacon, a femme with a mix of scales and feathers. Just looking at the gleaming, razor sharp edges of her folded wings, Drakonis dubbed her Airazor. The design of that thin frame alone would make her a force to be reckoned with in the sky.

In the tank after her was a mech with similar features to Drakonis himself, though the sparkling's frame was of a slightly different shape and design. The way that his protoform armor absorbed rather than reflected light earned him the name Darksteel.

Next down the line was another mech, this one the only Predacon without wings. Instead, he had three heads, all of which bobbed in the liquid solution alongside one another, occasionally bumping or nudging the others. Though otherwise indistinguishable, each of the heads had a differently shaped jaw, which Shockwave had noted indicated what their respective breath weapons would be. Studying them for a while, Drakonis finally came up with the individual names of Flame, Frost, and Acid. The three minds could collectively be called Triple, he also decided.

And then came the last of the sparklings, a femme smaller than all her hatchmates. Drakonis new she would be the biggest of them all, though; after all, the tiny being was the same frame type as himself, and nearly identical. Her horns were a slightly different shape, and the wings were a tad more elegant, but other than that the youngest sparkling was just the same as her future King. That, though, presented something of a problem to naming her.

Drakonis wanted to make sure this Predacon, of his same breed, had a suitably intimidating name for herself. Her diminutive size and cuteness (as could be seen through the container) made coming up with such a name nigh impossible. He supposed that something could be thought off closer to the day Shockwave released his friends from their growing tanks, but with all of the others named already, Drakonis didn't want to leave the femme without, whether she was aware of it or not.

While he was still considering the problem, Shockwave was distracted from his work by an alert from the security units. Grumbling to himself for the distraction, the scientist went and answered the incoming call from their liaison to the United States government.

"Yes, Agent Darby?"

"We've got a problem on our hands," the woman told him in a blunt tone, underlaid by something he was coming to recognize as her version of nervousness expressed through aggression. "Some of your 'Bot pals just entered our territory, and are heading straight for your lab."

Shockwave felt his spark casing grow cold. "I see. I will contact Trypticon for reinforcements-"

"Better tell them to send everybody, because this is looking like a full-out Autobot invasion."

"They brought the Eradibots and Insectibots?"

"In spades. I've got what defenses I can to mobilize, but you know as well as I do that even with the modifications you've made to our tanks and guns, we won't be able to hold this lot back for very long. My superiors are in the process of evacuating all non-combat personnel, and suggest that you do the same."

"There is only myself and Predaking- and the sparklings..." A feeling of horror stole over the mech, as he turned to observe the developing Predacons sealed within their containers. Drakonis had recognized something was wrong, and was watching his guardian in turn, one clawed hand set against the glass of the last tank in the row.

Agent Darby seemed to realize what was at stake within the Decepticon lab. "...I'm sorry. Do what you can, Shockwave. We'll give these bastards hell, but at the end of the day, you and the dragon are what's important, what's irreplaceable."

"Understood. Shockwave out," he managed to emit from his choked vocalizer. Darby responded in kind, ending the call so that she could go start shooting Autobot forces. Prime didn't often mobilize his insectoid and drone contingents, preferring to save them until he had less than a handful of Decepticons trapped and in a position to be swarmed and obliterated.

Drakonis' expression of wariness had turned to outright panic, his claws more firmly grasping at the smooth surface of the growing tank. "No."

"Drak-"

"No! I won't abandon them to die!" The massive Predacon was close to transforming, so great was his instinct to defend the sparklings.

"We- we can't just abandon them, Drakonis. If we left them here, the Autobots could take them and turn your brethren against us."

If anything, his creation was growing even more horrified and unstable. "So- what? You want us to _murder_ them? Still in the containers?!"

"I can simply trigger the release of a chemical in too potent a quantity for their frames to handle. Death will be painless and near instantaneous." Drakonis was looking frantically from the tanks to his guardian and back.

"We can't!" He cried. "We- what if we just- you said yourself they're fully developed! Just small! We can take them out of the containers and raise them, let them grow naturally!" Even before he finished saying the words, Shockwave was shaking his head.

"It won't work, my sparklet." The scientist intoned in the saddest tone Drakonis had ever heard from the mech.

"No..." Dropping to his knees, the Predacon continued to stare into the container he was holding onto. Beyond the glass, the little femme with his frame type had begun to twitch, her maw opening slightly to reveal tiny teeth, already pointed. Drakonis stared at her, coolant building behind his optic lenses.

Sighing, Shockwave moved forward to prod his creation back to a standing position. "Go. Aid the humans, either in their fight or flight from this place. I- I will take care of this place."

Drakonis jerked his head in a reluctant nod, taking a few moments look at each of his fellow clones in turn and whisper words of farewell to them.

"Burn brightly, Moltenwing. Success in all your hunts, Skylynx. Fly high and fear nothing, Airazor. May darkness be your ally, Darksteel. Cooperate and always triumph, Triple. And... Always stay strong, little Snicktooth." With that, Drakonis slowly turned, and left the bunker, and his unborn family, behind. He knew his guardian would dispose of the project in its entirety, from the sparklings to their containers to all his notes and supplies. It was simply too risky to attempt moving any of it with Autobots so close, so capable of stealing and using it themselves.

Drakonis had entered the bunker that day, eager for the arrival of his brethren.

Predaking was the one to leave it, fueled by his desire to destroy those who had caused the loss of the younger Predacons. Shockwave may have been the one to make the decision and input the command to the growing tanks, but if not for Prime and his corrupt followers, the choice would never have had to be made.

Transforming to his beastial mode, Predaking took to the skies over the human base, turned, and prepared to rain vengeful fire down upon his enemies.


	2. Alternate Version Now Available!

Project Predling: Second Chance is now up and posted - go take a look at what happens when Shockwave makes a different decision concerning the fates of the little clones, and how they shake up the Decepticons with a mixture of endearing and exasperating methods!

-Triscribe


End file.
